Haskovo - City of Bulgaria

Haskovo is the name of a town and administrative centre of the province of the same name in southern Bulgaria, not far from the borders with Greece and Turkey.

Haskovo celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 1985. To mark the event, a new clock tower was erected in the centre of the town. In medieval times it was known for the nearby Uzundzhovo fair, famous in all of Bulgaria.

According to the archeologists, the area of Haskovo was originally settled about seven thousand years ago. In and around Haskovo, evidence has been preserved that confirms its long history during the prehistoric, Thracian, Greek, Roman, and Byzantine periods.

In the 9th century—during the First Bulgarian Empire—a fortress was built in Haskovo that soon was transformed into a town. The town was located at the centre of a sizable region between the Klokotnitsa, Harmanliyska, and Maritsa rivers.

Most Bulgarians began to re-settle in Haskovo at the beginning of the nineteenth century. At this time, the settlement was a trading centre for merchants from Edirne, Enos, and Istanbul. Slowly, the area acquired a strong reputation for producing cotton materials, silk fabrics, and carpets.

Haskovo Cove in Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica is named for the city of Haskovo.

The cultural life in the town is presented by the newly renovated Ivan Dimov Dramatic Theatre, the historical museum and an art gallery. The annual Colourful Thrace Sings and Dances folk festival takes place in the nearby park Kenana.

A 32-metre-high statue of the Mother of God and the Infant Jesus was erected on the Hill of Youth near Haskovo in 2003. The monument was inaugurated on 8 September on the occasion of the Nativity of Holy Virgin Mary, when the day of the town of Haskovo is celebrated. It entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest monument to Our Lady in the world.

The town centre has recently been the subject of many investments and renovation.